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Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Karnataka HC allows X to amend plea seeking scrapping of content takedown provision
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Microblogging site X (formerly Twitter) has made a plea to amend its petition filed in the Karnataka High Court four months ago, making an additional demand to scrap Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology Rules that empowers government agencies to order intermediaries to remove content from their original petition, filed in March, had sought the court to declare that Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, 2000 does not authorise the government to issue information blocking orders to intermediaries, or social media platforms, like 79(3)(b) provides for authorities to remove immunity from liability accorded to intermediaries if they failed to comply with orders to take down unlawful content. In conjunction with Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, it also allows them to issue takedown Tuesday, senior counsel KG Raghavan, appearing for X, informed Justice M Nagaprasanna of the high court that he had filed a plea to amend the original petition. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who represented the government, said he has filed objections based on the merits of the proposed amendment but has no objections in allowing the petition to be a written statement filed on June 30, the government opposed challenging the constitutionality of the rule at 'this late stage'.Justice Nagaprasanna allowed X to file its amended petition in two days and fixed July 8 for the final hearing.X is seeking the court to declare Rule 3(1)(d) unconstitutional for being ultra vires (exceeding the remit) of the IT Act, or at least read it down and to declare that it does not grant the state any blocking powers. It also wants the court to hold that the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre 's (I4C) Sahyog portal is ultra vires of the IT Act and/or is union home ministry had developed the Sahyog portal to automate the process of sending notices to intermediaries by the government or its its March petition, X also sought protection for not joining the Sahyog portal as well as not complying with the notices sent via the portal. It had also argued that the government could issue content takedown orders only under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000 and not Section 79(3)(b).
The Print
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Maharashtra govt floats tender for fact check unit to track ‘malicious, inaccurate' content
Brijesh Singh, principal secretary, DGIPR, told ThePrint: 'Every day, we treat media reports as feedback on governance. During his previous tenure, Chief Minister Fadnavis made our approach clear: 'either the media is right, or we are right. If they are right, we need to take note. If they are wrong, we should inform them of factual inaccuracies'. This unit serves exactly that purpose.' The unit will be set up under the state government's Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR), and will use technological interventions to speedily screen all information concerning the state government and check its credibility across languages for any supposedly malicious or inaccurate content. Mumbai: The Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has floated a tender to set up a fact-check unit to track all content about the state government across traditional media as well as social and digital media platforms. 'It is not intended to have any chilling effect (on the public) or create the fears some people are expressing,' he added. Government departments routinely identify any alleged discrepancies in media reports and send rejoinders as and when required. Singh said the fact-check unit will make this exercise more thorough and faster, bringing in technological interventions. 'We lack the capability to handle the current volume of misinformation, and it requires significant technical capabilities. When altered photos claim a bridge has collapsed, or old images are used out of context, we need to respond promptly and accurately, pointing out, for instance, that an image is from 2016. This requires forensic capabilities, making technical expertise essential,' Singh said. According to the tender, which ThePrint has seen, the fact-check unit will have a dashboard that would offer detailed reports and alerts on any 'misinformation, disinformation and malinformation' detected. The dashboard, the tender states, should help government officials to quickly review the content that has been flagged, understand the scope of the issue and respond in a timely manner. The agency chosen to set up the unit will also conduct training sessions and workshops for officials from the DGIPR and other government departments on how to use the dashboard, and view and analyse reports. Also Read: Trump dismisses as 'fake news' CNN report saying US strikes didn't destroy Iranian nuclear sites 'Fact-check unit proposal legally vetted' The Bombay High Court had in September last year declared a 2023 amendment in the Centre's Information Technology Rules, as part of which the government planned to fact-check social media content, as 'unconstitutional'. The amended rules were to restrain social media 'intermediaries' from publishing content about the government which its own fact-check unit identified as fake. Multiple petitions from organisations such as the Editors Guild of India, News Broadcasters and Digital Association, Association of Indian Magazines as well as comedian Kunal Kamra had challenged the amendment, saying the rules infringe upon freedom of speech and expression. In a 2023 letter, the Editors Guild of India had said: 'While admittedly there is a problem of misinformation and fake news, especially in the online space, efforts to check such content have to be by independent bodies that are not under the sole purview of the government, lest they become tools to clamp down on voices of dissent.' In December last year, the Centre filed a special leave petition against the high court's decision in the Supreme Court. It is, however, yet to be admitted. According to Singh, however, the Maharashtra government has got the proposal for the DGIPR's fact-check unit legally vetted and it will not be in contravention of the court's orders. 'The central fact-check unit was ruled unconstitutional by courts in an earlier decision because it required platforms to take down content based on the unit's report. Our approach is fundamentally different: it is not binding. The state government lacks such enforcement powers. Since that ruling, PIB (Press Information Bureau) has continued fact-checking, as have many other states,' Singh said. What the tender says According to the tender document, the fact-checking unit is expected to track social and digital media platforms, websites, online news aggregators and blogs for the state government to identify and respond to 'instances of misinformation, disinformation and malinformation being published' in a timely manner. 'If someone posts false information—say, claiming a statue has been desecrated somewhere—the government has a responsibility to respond with accurate information. Our primary objectives are serving public interest and increasing transparency and trust,' Singh told ThePrint. The unit will be expected to validate and assess the credibility of content not just in English, but also in Hinglish (an informal blend of Hindi and English) as well as regional languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali. The tender document states the agency setting up the fact-check unit should also provide a solution to conduct predictive analytics so that the government can identify potential outbreaks of alleged misinformation based on historical patterns and social media activity. 'Using AI, it must forecast which topics are likely to be misrepresented, manipulated, or misused, allowing government agencies to respond proactively and mitigate potential damage,' it says. Further, the agency selected to set up the fact-check unit will enable sorting the allegedly malicious content into categories based on why it is malicious—whether it is inflammatory, insulting, obscene, profane or adverse. It will be required to detect deepfakes as well as content using code language with a 'harmful intent without explicit terminology'. The agency's solution will also classify accounts allegedly using media manipulation tactics to gain social media traction, posts that make derogatory remarks about someone based on their identity, and content by entities lacking credibility or verifiable accuracy, among other things, the tender document states. (Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui) Also Read: India's Chief of Information War during Op Sindoor night was fact-checker Mohammed Zubair
India Gazette
20-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Punjab and Haryana HC dismisses PIL against online opinion trading platforms, cites adequate legal framework
Chandigarh [India], June 20 (ANI): The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on online opinion trading platforms, gaming applications, and related advertisements. The petitioner had urged the Court to direct the Union of India to take immediate steps against such platforms for allegedly promoting betting and wagering in violation of several laws, including the Public Gambling Act, 1867, the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Haryana Prevention of Public Gambling Act, 2025, and the Information Technology Rules, 2021. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel refused to intervene, stating that a comprehensive statutory framework already exists to regulate such activities. The Court noted that the legislature has, through multiple enactments and guidelines, provided specific remedies and mechanisms for addressing grievances related to online gambling and betting. 'Since there exists adequate statutory frameworks for redressal of the grievances articulated in the petition, there arises no occasion for this Court to entertain the petition in its extraordinary writ jurisdiction,' the bench held. However, the Court clarified that it had not examined the substantive merits of the petitioner's claims and stressed that its decision was based solely on the availability of legal remedies under existing laws. 'This Court harbours no reason to not anticipate that the concerned authorities shall diligently consider the grievances and issues raised in the petition, and proceed to adjudicate upon them strictly in accordance with law and established procedure,' the order added. The petitioner was granted liberty to approach the appropriate authorities in accordance with the Haryana Prevention of Public Gambling Act, 2025 or other relevant statutes. Any such representation, the Court emphasised, must be considered and decided as per due process. The plea had also sought a curb on the advertisement and marketing of these platforms across mediums such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, print, and television, citing threats to public order and legality. (ANI)
The Wire
15-06-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
Government has ‘No Information' About Social Media Trolls Who Blamed Foreign Secretary for Ceasefire
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Government Government has 'No Information' About Social Media Trolls Who Blamed Foreign Secretary for Ceasefire The Wire Staff 5 minutes ago Both the MEA and the MEITY said they have 'no information' about the handles that viciously trolled Misri and his family. In this image posted by @IndianEmbTokyo on X on May 22, 2025, foreign secretary Vikram Misri speaks during the inaugural session of Raisina Tokyo. Photo via PTI. Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now New Delhi: The Union government has no information about the social media handles who had unleashed vicious troll attacks on foreign secretary Vikram Misri and his daughter during last month's military conflict with Pakistan, right to information (RTI) queries have revealed. The Wire had reported that Misri locked his X account on May 11 after he was viciously trolled on social media following the ceasefire announced between India and Pakistan. No one from the Union government, including external affairs minister S. Jaishankar, has yet condemned the trolling or come out in his support. Misri as foreign secretary helmed the Ministry of External Affairs's briefings during the four-day military conflict with Pakistan following the launch of Operation Sindoor. The move to lock his account came after right-wing X accounts called him a 'traitor' and blamed him for the ceasefire, dug out old posts that he had shared of his family, and targeted his daughter for studying abroad and 'providing legal aid to Rohingya refugees from Myanmar'. Venkatesh Nayak, director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, filed separate RTI queries with the Ministry of External Affairs as well as the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology seeking a list of social media accounts that have been identified by the competent agency in each of the ministries that are known to have initiated and participated in the trolling and online abuse of Misri and his family. Both ministries reverted with identical replies saying that there is no such information available on the topic. In his appeal filed to the Ministry of External Affairs following its response saying it had no information, Nayak wrote that the government has acted to 'take down other kinds of offensive content from social media and other digital media platforms, in the past'. 'Other public authorities under this Government have quickly acted to invoke the relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the applicable Information Technology Rules, to get CERT-IN to take down other kinds of offensive content from social media and other digital media platforms, in the past. It is unbelievable that this Ministry has not acted in a similar manner with regard to the recent trolling of the Foreign Secretary,' he wrote in his appeal. 'The CPIO [central public information officer]'s obtuse and evasive reply amounts to admitting that this Government did nothing to take action against the social media accounts and their offensive operators who attacked the Foreign Secretary with extreme prejudice and using very offensive language. 'This does not inspire any degree of confidence in the minds of us, the citizenry, about this Government's ability to protect its senior functionaries from attacks on social media platforms. This also does not align with this Government's policy of not keeping quiet when violence is committed against Indian citizens and their property by external enemies and their local agents,' he added. However, in response to his appeal, Nayak got the same reply from the ministry of external affairs: 'The information is not available with this office.' While the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology also said that it does not have any information about the topic, Nayak is yet to file an appeal with it. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News Foreign Secretary Locks X Account After Vicious Social Media Abuse Blaming Him for Ceasefire Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to Brief Parliamentary Committee About Recent India-Pakistan Standoff Decision to Stop Military Action with Pakistan Taken Bilaterally, Foreign Secretary Tells Parl Panel Do We Want to Become Vishwa Guru or Vish Guru? Pak's Support to Terror, Op Sindoor, Indus Water Treaty: What the All-Party Delegations Will Address Foreign Secy Says 'Criticising Govt Hallmark of Democracy', But BJP Handles Have Missed the Memo Young Man Restrained at US Airport 'Had Entered Without Visa, Was Being Deported': US Tells India Amid Claims and Counter-Claims, Concerns over 'Escalation' Reach A New High Today Pakistan's Claim That India Would Attack Its Own Cities a 'Deranged Fantasy': FS View in Desktop Mode About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
Time of India
03-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
HC upholds TN law regulating online real-money games
Chennai: A Tamil Nadu law regulating online real-money games like rummy and poker by introducing age, money, time and ad restrictions, besides two-stage Aadhaar-based verification, has been upheld by Madras high court . "In true essence, the online real money games is a trade activity, which, if left unregulated, has immediate implications on health of the public," a division bench of Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice K Rajasekar said on Tuesday. Bench made the observation while dismissing a batch of petitions moved by online gaming platforms challenging validity of restrictions. Refusing to concur with the platforms which contended that a state govt lacks power to bring in such restrictions, the court said, "Both the Union and state govts have power to enact laws in their own respective subject matter apart from the common pool as enabled in List III (concurrent list). This court cannot hold that state is barred from enacting laws regulating online real money games. It is covered under the subject matter of public health and sanitation which comes under List II (state list)," judges said. The argument that Information Technology Rules, 2021 already prescribe a regulatory framework for intermediaries, including online gaming platforms, and hence the state cannot frame a subordinate legislation is unacceptable, the court said. "This court views that the state is fully within its competence to enact laws pertaining to online real money games. This court on perusal of the provisions of the Act (state legislation) finds no contradictions or provisions that run contrary to the central rules in force," the bench said. Moreover, the provisions related to online gaming under IT Rules, 2021 is yet to take effect and remains unenforceable as of today. So there exists a vacuum in regulating online games, the court pointed out. The judges added that they are of the view that the state govt has rightfully taken adequate steps to fill in the vacuum by framing the legislation. Rejecting argument that mandatory Aadhaar verification violates privacy of a player, bench said, "Right to privacy carries with it its own limitations and cannot be claimed in absolute. When put on a scale, a compelling public interest outweighs right to privacy."
